Posted 5/14/2008 1:48 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Morgoth, i was run over by a ride on lawnmower when i was 5. Hit and then backed over it again as the child driving the lawn mower panicked... I was in the hospital over 3months haveing numerous surgeries to the foot. I had many compound fractures (bones that cracked and came outside the skin) in both my foot and my leg (left foot/leg). All the bones in my foot were broken or shattered. I had long pins put into the tops of each toe that went from top of toe to bottom of toe bone to try to piece the toes bones back together, they put corkes at the top of the pins that stuck out of the top of my toes. A nurse would come in each day and shake the pins to keep the bones from sticking (my mother says she had to leave the room as i would scream in horrible pain, tho i don't remember the physical pain). I had complete reconstruction of the foot, along w/ repair of other compound fracters to my leg put back together w/ surgical bolts. (both in lower and upper leg). I had numerous blood transfusions due to the loss of blood from the accident. The ortho orriginally told my mom that at the least i would lose my foot, and the most up to my knee. I had severe gangreen due to the dirty blade of the lawnmower. They ended up saving the foot, but i lost a toe in one of the many surgeries.
As i grew up and after physical therapy and years of shrink therapy, i had pain on and off, but nothing real severe. I was put in dance as recommended by my ortho for pt....I danced many years (ballet, and i might say i was very good and wanted to become a professional ballet dancer, but knew that i would never be able to do that , so i quite in my late teens as it hurt to much to dance anymore). Over the yrs, when the pain flared up, we did seek opinions w/ new orthos, as mine had retired (at the time, he was the BEST in my area, big city, miami, florida, usa). NO ONE would touch it and just sent me on my merry way.
The year 9/11 happened (im sorry, im a bad amarican, and can not remember what ur it was) was when, out of the blue i started having severe pain in the foot. The pain ranges from nerve pain from perminatly damaged nerves, to bone pain, to severe arthritis pain that comes and goes w/ weather. I have severe pain when i do any length of walking, can not walk in heals anymore (which i miss dearly, as im a shoe lover), and absoultycan not walk bearfoot at all, i must have shoes or slippers on at all times.
We finally went to some ofthe major teaching hospitals here, (university of miami, ortho and to jackson orthos) tests were run, and on top of all the obvious injurys, i also have bone spures that are growing down towards the ground at the ball of my foot. NO ONE is willing to open the foot to correct this for fear of mucking something up.
So, i was sent to myPM group. I was originally put on 7.5mg percocet along w/ lidocane patches to apply directly to the site of pain. I also began lumbar sympathatic blocks. They worked really well at first. But i have been doing them for years now, and am not having long lasting befifit from them anymore. I am still on percs, and honestly don't forsee a time that i will be off meds. The meds and the blocks are the only thing that got me out of the wheelchair when my pain originally came on so fast. I was unable to walk on my foot for close to 3mo.
The PM group has started talking about maybe cutting or freezing the nerve that runs to the foot , but i worry about losing complete feeling in the foot, what if i stepped on glass and didn't know it kind of thing....they have also talked about some type of nerve stimulator implantation, which scares me to, not to mention that not all my pain is nerve related.
My original ortho told my parents and put in my records that i should NEVER have surgery again on that foot, and that his thoughts were that even tho he saved the foot, his thoughts on my future, my be w/o the use of my foot in the yrs to come. Sadly, we did have a lawsuit and settled out of court w/ the neighbors, but i got the money when i was 18 and like a young kid will always do, i spent it....so, as it was ment to help take care of me later in life when i could not walk....i now dont have that to fall back on. I have two young kids now and not walking is NOT an option for me, i don't care if i have to try every drug in the book and every crazy thing the PM recommends. I sorta feel like this is the best it's gunna get. My back is in pain due to the fact that the reconstructed arch is so high on the foot and my walk is sorta offf kilter, so i have back and hip problems now to.
Phew...LOL...I will research zaldiar, i have never heard of it. I can say that i do get good relief from the percs, but am becomming used to the dose and think i need something stronger, but am afraid to ask for fear of looking like im drug seeking (its sad to feel like tha when i have such an obvious injury). I also want to discuss w/ them getting off the tylanol part of the med..i have been on it for yrs and would like to keep my liver if at all possible! lol
anyways, im glad to hear that you did regain some of the nervous system again, for me, the nerves will never regenerate, i am now 35 and had the accident when i was 5....so, that is not even a thought for me.
ok, sorry for the book....im glad that u r getting some relief and glad that u shared w/ me! i usually see alot of peps here w/ back injuries, and not really what im dealing w/ so it's nice to see someone who is pretty much in my shoes (tho i wish neither one of us were, i would rather be in my ballet shoes)! lol
take care morgoth! and keep in touch with your progress, shannon